Polishing composition feed system



March 8, 1966 c. w. DAVIS, JR, ET AL 3,238,672

POLISHING COMPOSITION FEED SYSTEM Original Filed Sept. 28, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I MfilQ ,INVENTORS 19 i J. mu! BY 2431344 A TTORNE YS March 8, 1966 w, DAVI J ETAL 3,238,672

POLISHING COMPOSITION FEED SYSTEM Original Filed Sept. 28, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Am: .c'wfmey, BY odmal fizfz A TTORNE YS United States Patent 3,238,672 PQLISHIN G COMPOSITION FEED SYSTEM Curtis W. Davis, Jr., and Delmar E. Carney, Toledo, James F. Kurick, Perrysburg, and Daniel A. Schultz, Rossford, Ghio, assignors to Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application Sept. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 58,998, now Patent No. 3,107,463, dated Get. 22, 1963. Divided and this application Mar. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 271,540

1 Claim. (Cl. 51-412) This application is a division of application Serial No. 58,998, filed September 28, 1960, and now Patent Number 3,107,463 issued October 22, 1963.

This invention broadly relates to apparatus for surfac ing glass and is more particularly directed to apparatus for simultaneously polishing both surfaces of a glass ribbon moving along a continuous path.

It has been known that a glass ribbon may be ground and/or polished simultaneously on both surfaces as the continuous ribbon moves along a definite path. This operation has been normally referred to in the prior art as either twin grinding or twin polishing. In the prior art, twin grinding was normally accomplished by a series of opposed circular runners rotating about a centrally disposed runner axis on each side of the glass ribbon. Likewise, the conventional twin polishing devices of the prior art employed a plurality of circular polishing pads freely turnable about their individual axes, all being supported on each side of the glass ribbon from a common frame that was itself rotated about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the glass.

Likewise, it has been known, as shown and described in US. Patent No. 1,962,766 issued to J. P. Crowley et al. on June 12, 1934 and also as shown and described in US. Patent No. 1,962,767 issued to J. P. Crowley et al. on June 12, 1934 to surface (i.e. grind or polish) the opposed surfaces of a glass ribbon moving along a definite path by a special type of oscillating motion of the surfacing unit, wherein the unit includes upper and lower rectangular surfacing runners. This oscillating or orbital surfacing motion was applied, according to those patents, by rectangular runners Whose major dimension was transverse of the path of travel of the glass.

The particular motion of the surfacing tools, typified by the above cited patents, is most aptly defined as a curvilinear translation with respect to the glass. This curvilinear translation is itself most particularly characterized by the fact that the path of each point on the tool describes a circle, which circle is of equal diameter to the circles described by all other points on the same tool.

According to the conventional prior art in which rotating circular runners were employed, and particularly during the grinding process, the distribution of the surfacing slurry to bring the slurry into proper surfacing position between a surfacing runner and the glass, was normally accomplished by inscribing a series of radially spiralling grooves across the runner face. In this case, the slurry would be introduced into the central cavity of the rotating runner and by centrifugal force would be carried along the outwardly spiralling channels so that the slurry would be distributed uniformly across the glass sheet.

In the case of the polishing applicators, the slurry was deposited directly upon the glass and was carried by the glass underneath the polishing felts. Also these polishing felts were circular pads of fairly restricted diameters so that the slurry or polishing rouge actually had to travel only a slight distance underneath the circular pad to reach the pad center and thereby insure uniform distribution of the polishing slurry underneath the pad.

However, with the advent of present polishing procedures wherein rather large rectangular type runners are used to surface the glass, a serious problem has arisen in connection with the proper slurry distribution underneath the entire glass contacting area of the surfacing tool, This problem is magnified in the case of the rectangular shaped polishing pads following a path characterized by a curvilinear translation because it has been found that the pads or polishing runners must be pressed onto the glass surface by some external pressure in order to secure the best polishing action. Thus in effect it could be said, in the case of these rectangular pads or rectangular runners that the glass ribbon is actually pinched between opposed surfacing runners. This being the case, external feeding such as was common heretofore in the case of the circular polishing pads of the prior art has proven unsatisfactory. With the polishing runner positively pressed onto the glass surface this pressure prevents the glass ribbon from carrying polishing slurry, or rouge deposited on its surface, underneath the full extent of the runner.

It must be remembered that efficient polishing depends to a large extent upon the uniformity of distribution of the polishing slurry over all areas of the glass to be polished. If the slurry distribution should be uneven then the polishing action of polishing tools will be uneven and the resultant glass finish will be characterized by areas of high polish and areas of inferior polish.

In essence it has been found to be critical that these rectangular felt pads used to polish the glass, be impregnated or saturated with the polishing medium. This impregnation of the felt is accomplished to a reasonable depth to insure that the glass engaging portions of the felts are saturated with a fluid polishing medium. This is essential not only to insure uniform polishing of the glass but also to prevent the frictional force from excessively heating either the pad or the glass, which heat would impair the polishing efiiciency or under some conditions could cause the glass to break. During polishing the felt tends to dry out due to the frictional heat so that a saturation or impregnation of the pad is desirable as afore-discussed. Thus to an extent the impregnation of the pad by a fluid medium is necessary for its cooling effect along with its use for polishing.

Therefore, broadly expressed, the present invention is directed to a particularly novel method and apparatus for insuring a positive and uniform distribution of slurry to all parts of a rectangular polishing tool pressed onto the glass in order to gain uniform polishing by all of the glass contacting portions of the surfacing tool.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent during the course of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation taken along a line transversely of the path of the glass illustrating a polishing apparatus of the rectangular type;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing the polishing position of the surfacing runners;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation showing the slurry distribu: tion system and most particularly the position of the polishing pad during slurry feed phase;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a runner using the polishing method of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the runner shown in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 4.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a glass ribbon being conveyed along in the direction of arrow 11 (FIG. 2) by suitable drive rolls 13 and 14. The glass ribbon 10 is carried through a plurality of similar polishing stations A and B (FIG. 2). Only one of these stations, namely station A is shown in detail (FIG. 1) and inasmuch as stations A and B (FIG. 2) are for all intents and purposes structurally equivalent, there being only a difference in the phasing of the motion of the surfacing tools employed in these stations, it is believed that a description of station A (FIG. 1) will suffice as a description for both stations A and B. It should also be remembered that stations A and B constitute one surfacing unit (FIG. 2) and that any desired number of these units may be located along the path of ribbon 10.

Station A includes an upper surface polishing apparatus 15 and a lower surface polishing apparatus 16 (FIG. 1).

The upper surfacing apparatus 15 includes a rectangular polishing platen 17 (see also FIGS. 4 and 5). This platen 17 has a felt working face 18 and the platen is driven in its curvilinear translation by eccentric drive mechanisms 19, one secured adjacent each end of platen 17. Each mechanism 19 includes a bell crank or eccentric 20 mounted to platen 17 in bearings 20a and also suitably attached to a shaft 21. Each shaft 21 is connected by a worm gearing system 22 to further shafts 23 which are themselves connected to the drive shafts of motor 24 and rotated thereby in the desired manner. Thus, the upper platen 17 will follow a closed path, namely a curvilinear translation, as the driving force is imparted thereto by the motor 24 through the linkage 20, 21, 22, 23 aforedescribed. Shaft 21 is maintained vertically aligned by a casing 25 and while shaft 21 is freely rotatable within casing 25 in bearings 26a it also is fixedly positioned with respect to the casing 25 by collars 26 and casing 25 is therefore vertically movable with shaft 21. This casing 25 is connected by lug 27a to suitable mechanical lifting gearing 27, and to motor 28 so that casing 25 may be mechanically raised and lowered away from the glass ribbon 10 thus raising and lowering platen 17.

In lower surfacing apparatus 16 similar components are likewise used to drive the lower platen 29 which has a felt face 30. A bell crank arrangement 31, similar to the arrangement 19 above, at each end of platen 29 is connected to each shaft 32. Each shaft 32 by gearing 33 and shafts 34 is connected to a motor 35 whereby a curvilinear translation movement is imparted to platen 29. Likewise motor 36 through shafts 37, gearing 38 and further shafts 39 is connected to the casing 40, through which the shaft 32 passes and within which it is held for free rotation so that the lower platen 29 may also be lowered away and out of engagement from the glass ribbon 10 or moved upwardly in order to engage the ribbon 10. Since the detailed structure of the drive mechanism forms only an ancillary portion of this invention only that structure deemed essential for an understanding of the basic features of the operation of the platens 17 and 29 has been shown and described.

Connected to the casing 25 of the upper surfacing apparatus 15, is a fluid pressure system the specific one illustrated being a hydraulic pressure system including pressure devices 41 and 42. By means of these devices 41 and 42, the polishing pressure is applied to thrust the surfacing tool 17 positively against ribbon 10. It is believed that the description of one of these devices will serve the purpose of describing both inasmuch as both devices 41 and 42 are identical. An L-shaped arm 43 is pivoted at a shaft 44. This arm 43 has a toothed projection 45 on one end engaging complementary teeth 46 on the casing 25. The plunger 47 of the device 42 is connected to the other end of arm 43 and carries a piston head 48 that is held within a cylindrical hydraulic cylinder 49.

This cylinder is what might be commonly referred to as having a double acting piston. The cylinder 49 in the embodiment shown is connected by means of suitable leads 50 and 51 to a source of vacuum and/or pressure in order to raise or lower plunger 47 as desired. Therefore, as the plunger or piston 47 is optionally driven, for example, downwardly in the direction of arrow 52 by inserting pressure into cylinder 49 from lead 50 and simultaneously bleeding pressure out through lead 51, casing 25 and platen 17 will be lifted up from the glass, to decrease the polishing pressure, by arm 43 pivoting about shaft 44. In the alternative, if piston 47 is raised in the direction of arrow 53 by inserting pressure through lead 51 and simultaneously bleeding pressure out through lead 50, then casing 25 will be forced downwardly by pivoting arm 43 to press the platen 17 against the ribbon 10 and therefore increase the polishing pressure.

Since the lower platen 29 in both the above circumstances would previously have been brought into fixed contact with the glass ribbon by motor 36, the application of thrust or polishing pressure on the top platen 17 will pinch the glass 10 between the felt face 18 of the upper platen 17 and the felt face 30 of the lower platen 29. At this time the platens 17, 29 would be in surfacing position and by proper regulation of the pressure in the hydraulic system 41 and 42 it would be possible to place and maintain the proper surfacing pressure upon the glass ribbon and thereby to properly surface the glass ribbon 10 which passes between the surfacing felts 18 and 30. The hydraulic system 41 and 42 therefore applies the positive load pressure which is used to surface the glass and the load pressure is applied after the tools or platens have been placed in engagement with the glass by operation of motors 28 and 36.

Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown in detail a rectangular polishing platen 17. It must be remembered, however, that this platen 17 is identical to the platen 29 so that a description of one, it is believed, will suffice as a description of both. The platen 17 includes a base plate 54 onto which the felt 18 has been attached. Cut into this felt 18, and running transversely of the path of glass movement or parallel to the long dimension of the rectangular plates configuration are a pair of rectangular slots 55 and 56. It should be here pointed out that the number and the size of these slots are a function of the platen size most particularly, that is the required number of slots will be used in order to achieve distribution of the surfacing medium without reducing the total glass engaging area of the platen necessary to achieve efficient polishing. As seen in FIG. 5 these slots 55 and 56 run from a position -or location terminating slightly short of, or removed from, the side edges 57 and 58 of felt 18. This is necessary so that when this platen 17 is brought into contact with the surface of ribbon 10, the glass will completely cover slots 55 and 56 so that neither slot 55 nor 56 will extend beyond the opposite edges 59 and 60 (FIG. 1) of the glass ribbon 10 when the platen 17 follows its curvilinear translation. Therefore, since the ribbon 10 is pressed between these opposed polishing pads 17 and 29, slots 55 and 56 will define a pair of hollow chambers sealed off from free communication with the atmosphere.

It should be here noted that while the working face or rubbing layer of platens 17 and 29 have been described as being composed of felt, other resilient materials such as fibrous composition, rubber or a soft plastic would also be satisfactory. It is a basic requirement only that the materials used have the necessary combination of rigidity and flexibility so that it can follow minute irregularities in the glass surface being polished.

Turning to FIG. 6, there is connected into each of the slots 55 and 56, nipples 61 and 62 which freely communicate with the slots. These nipples 61 and 62 provide four feed sources in the platen 17 through which slurry may be fed. It is likewise noted that depending .5 upon the size and inherent weight of the platens that more feed sources might be found desirable. Thus the actual number of feed sources is dependent to a large extent upon the physical size and inherent weight of the platen. The polishing medium is fed through these nipples 61 and 62, as will later be described, to feed the polishing felts and to actually impregnate the felt pads with the polishing medium.

Turning now to FIG. 3, the nipples 61 and 62 are connected by means of flexible hoses 63 to a feed conduit 64. It is believed a description of the action for the feed system for the platens at station A will suffice for the similar system used in conjunction with the platens at station B. The feed conduit 64 defines, with the flexible hoses '63, feed nipples 61 and 62 and the slots 55 and 56 within the felt 18, a closed circuit for effecting slurry distribution to the felt to impregnate it.

Slurry is fed to the conduit 64 and to conduit 65 by a pump 66. Conduit 65 feeds the lower platen 29 in the same fashion as does conduit 64 above described feed platen 17, that is through flexible hoses 67. Pump 66 when activated forces slurry at a pressure between approximately 12 and 60 psi. through the conduit 68 to conduit 64. The platen pressure at this time is held between about 2 and 8 psi. The pump 66 is activated by a motor 69 connected to a timer 70. The same arrange ment is duplicated at station B which has a timer 71, a motor 72 connected to the timer 71, a pump 73 and a similar feed system including conduits 74, 75 and 76 and flexible hoses 77. Pumps 66 and 73 are both fed by conduits 78 from a common reservoir 79 containing the fluid polishing medium.

The timers 70, 71 may also be synchronized so that motors 69 and 72 are activated at the same instant. In this case polishing slurry will flow from a common source 79 under positive pressure through the pumps 66 and 73 to all of the upper platens 17 and all of the lower platens 29 at both stations A and B at the same instant. Rather than using the timer to activate the pump intermittently a constant feed pump could be used in combination with solenoid valves.

It is believed desirable to mention here that there are a number of procedures wherein the surfacing units may be fed. First, considering the surfacing unit construction of FIG. 3, that is wherein a surfacing unit includes both a station A and a station B, i.e. four platens, two on the top and two on the bottom of the glass ribbon, this unit may be fed in any one of the following manners:

(1) Slurry may be simultaneously fed to only the two surfacing platens engaging the top ribbon surface.

(2) Slurry may be simultaneously fed to only the two surfacing platens engaging the bottom ribbon surface.

(3) Slurry may be simultaneously fed to one platen 17 in the top position and its opposed complementary platen 29 in the lower position.

When any one of the above procedures as outlined are followed, it has been found that disengagement of the platens from the glass ribbon does not produce any adverse effects which would unbalance the forces acting on the glass ribbon. It is desirable to prevent any unbalanced forces because they might possibly induce lateral shifting of the glass. Thus it is essential when feeding the glass surfacing platens, as aforedescribed in detail, that a proper balance be maintained throughout the polishing system.

It should also be noted that under the third alternate procedure above listed it would be possible to feed all of the platens'at the same instant. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the platens at station A could be fed to disengage them from the glass ribbon at the same instant the platens at station B were also fed to disengage them from the glass ribbon. However, if desired, it would be possible to feed the upper and lower surfacing members or platens at station A at a different time interval than the same members at station B of the same unit. It

6 should also be pointed out here that if one platen of the four platen unit is fed then at least one other platen must be fed, either the platen on the same side of the glass ribbon or the platen directly thereopposed. Thus, an even number of platens must always be fed as compared to an odd number. 7

Turning now to the situation wherein a surfacing unit is composed of only two platens, i.e. only station A, then in this specific case both the top and bottom platens must be fed at the same time. It has been recognized that it is possible to use a surfacing unit composed of only two platens, one on the top and one on the bottom when it is for some reason desirable to operate such a two platen unit independent of any other surfacing unit of similar construction.

It should also be noted that the piping system 64 and 65 for station A and system 75 and 76 for station B can be constructed to insure a correct pressure development in platens 17 and 29 and to overcome any pressure drop due to the variations in the length of the system delivering the slurry to either platen 17 or platen 29.

As was before discussed, the polishing pads or platens 17 and 29 are pressed downwardly onto the glass ribbon 10 by the hydraulic device 41 and 42. At this time the closed chambers in the platens (i.e. those chambers defined by slots 55 and 56 and ribbon 10) would receive the slurry or polishing medium coming through the conduit or feed systems above described at a given pressure developed by a pump.

In the description which follows a discussion will be confined to the slurry feeding operation at station A. This feeding operation is controlled by a timer 70, which may or may not be synchronized with the other timer 71 controlling the pump 73 at station B. In any event the slurry feed causes the platens at station A to separate from the glass 10, that is to move from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3.

In order to initiate this movement of ribbon 10 and the slurry feed, timer activates a motor 69 which causes the pump 66 to operate sending the slurry from reservoir 79 through the conduit systems aforedescribed and into the slots 55 and 56 of the opposed platens 17 and 29 at station A. As this slurry pressure in the platens builds up, it will overcome the thrust of the polishing pressure of the hydraulic system 41 and 42. As the slurry pressure, constantly increasing, exceeds the polishing or load pressure of system 41 and 42, platen 17 will be lifted from glass ribbon 10 by the pressure applied through conduit 64. At the same instant, the slurry pressure being applied through conduit 65 to the lower platen 29 will tend to force the glass ribbon 10 to be lifted up and away from the lower platens 29. At the instant the slurry pressure exceeds the load or polishing pressure at a maximum figure, it could be said that glass ribbon 10 is floated away from both upper platen 17 and lower platen 29 by the slurry pressure. That is ribbon 10 is floated upwardly away from the lower platen 29 in a bath of slurry while simultaneously top platen 17 is floated in a similar liquid bath upwardly away from the top surface of the glass ribbon. At this time the slurry in slots 55 and 56 of both platens 17 and 29 will spread outwardly therefrom and across the entire surface of the ribbon, between the ribbon 10 and the surface of the polishing felts on the platens. When this occurs, that is when the platens have been disengaged from the glass thereadjacent and when slurry has covered all parts of the glass opposite a platen 17 or 29 thus feeding or impregnating the felt pads thereadjacent, timer 70 will cause the pump 66 to be deactivated. This eliminates the pressure tending to cause the separation of the platens 17 and 29 from the glass ribbon 10. At this time the pressure of the hydraulic system 41 and 42 will again press downwardly on the upper platen 17 and will tend to force the upper palten 17 downwardly against the upper surface of glass ribbon 10. Thus the ribbon 10 will be forced downwardly towards the lower platen 29 and will again assume the position as shown in FIG. 2 wherein the glass ribbon is pinched between the opposed upper and lower platens.

Now referring to FIG. 3, when the platen 17 is fully raised by the slurry pressure and ribbon floated away from the lower platen 29, the glass ribbon 10 is actually bent slightly. However this bend in the ribbon 10 does not exceed a vertical movement of more than a maximum of one hundred thousandths of an inch. So long as drive rolls 13, 14 are not positioned too close to the platens themselves, this upward glass movement will not cause any glass breakage. In practice it has been found that a relationship does exist between the magnitude of the vertical movement or elevation of the glass and the distance between the point of this vertical elevation and the nearest point of fixed pressure.

For example, referring to FIG. 3 the dotted line 80 represents the normal position of the lower surface 81 of glass ribbon 10 when the ribbon is being surfaced by the adjacent platens 17 and 29. This is the position shown in FIG. 2. When slurry is fed as aforedescribed it causes the platens 17 and 29 to be disengaged from the ribbon and the undersurface 81 of the glass ribbon 10 is elevated to the full line position shown in FIG. 3. Now the magnitude of the allowable vertical movement is a function of the span between the platens at one station and the adjacent platens at another station of the same surfacing unit, if only one station of the unit is fed, or the span between any platen being fed by slurry and the midpoint of the adjacent rolls 13 and 14.

For example, we have found that for a vertical elevation of /s inch, breakage of the ribbon takes place at an average span of 8.5 inches or from 6 to 11 inches. We have further found that for a vertical elevation of 4 inch, breakage occurs at an average of 13.5 inches or in the range of 10 to 16 inches and for a vertical elevation of /8 inch, breakage occurs at an average span of 16.5 inches or from 14 to 19 inches.

As above noted, our elevation is somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred thousandths of an inch or just slightly less than /a inch. The distance therefore between a drive roll 13 and 14 and the nearest adjacent platen should be slightly more than 11 inches in order to insure that the ribbon will not break when feeding stations A and B simultaneously. Likewise, if it is desired to feed the two platens at station A at sometime other than simultaneously with the two platens at station B, the span between the closest edges of any two of the platens at adjacent stations A and B should also always be more than 11 inches.

Thus the ribbon 10 moving in the direction of arrow 11 is bowed to move from the dotted line position to the full line position of FIG. 3 as the ribbon passes between and is floated away from the opposed surfacing platens during the above described feeding phase. However the ribbon will not break so long as the span between the feed point and an adjacent positive pressure area is controlled as above described. This platen feed is not a constant or continuous feeding system but as above described it is an intermittent system wherein slurry is caused to be pumped to the platens 17 and 29 for a period of time of approximately 10 to 20 seconds at intervals of approximately 120 to 200 seconds.

Thus the platens 17 and 29 under the action of suitable drive mechanisms are caused to follow a closed directive curve as aforedescribed. The hydraulic system 41 and 42 thrusts the upper platen 17 against the glass ribbon 10 at a load pressure of approximately 2 to 8 p.s.i. The feed of the slurry from reservoir 79 to the conduits as above discussed, maintains a pressure of between 10 and 12 p.s.i. for the slurry on the glass interiorally of the platens at station A and B for the time period aforementioned. This time has been found to be the time normally required to float the platens as aforedescribed and to cause the slurry to sweep from the channels S5 and 56 across the felt surfaces of the platens to accomplish what might be referred to as a regenerating felting action. If the pressure exerted by the slurry on the glass exceeds 12 p.s.i. there is a tendency for the slurry to wash across the glass resulting in what might be termed a flushing out action.

In way of summary, this intermittent feed is controlled by timers and 71 to insure that there is an ample supply of polishing medium at all times over the surface of the glass whereby the polishing felts 18 and 30 are periodically saturated with a fluid polishing medium. This is important since when driving the surfacing runners 17 and 29 along their curvilinear translation at high speeds, extreme heat results from the frictional contact between the felt and the glass. This extreme heat, if not compensated for at regular intervals, would induce conditions under which the glass ribbon might be broken and also would further cause excessive felt wear. In order to alleviate this condition, the felts 18 and 30 are regularly saturated with a polishing medium by periodically and intermittently raising the felts off and away from the glass and causing slurry to flow outwardly from the center of the platens to form a pool of a slurry between the felt and the glass. The impregnated platens overcome the frictional heat and it is possible to rotate the platens 17, 30 continuously at high speeds.

It is also noted that by feeding the platens 17 and 29 in the above described manner so as to intermittently saturate the felts 18 and 30 by slurry flowing from the center of the platens, the total effective polishing time or the polishing work will of course, be reduced. This has not been found to detract from the efficiency of the present apparatus for, or method of, surfacing glass since by positively insuring uniform slurry distribution across the surface of the ribbon and a well saturated surfacing felt, it has been possible to achieve uniform surfacing of the glass ribbon and to overcome numerous deficiencies present in the prior art that had materially detracted from a uniform glass finish.

While there has been aforedescribed and outlined the procedures by which it is possible to distribute a slurry under the polishing pads by varying the slurry pressure, this is not intended to limit the invention solely to such a method.

Thus it should be pointed out that it would be entirely possible to cause a disengagement of both the upper and lower surfacing platens from the glass ribbon by decreasing the pressure of hydraulic system 41 and 42 while retaining a constant slurry feeding pressure.

Under these circumstances, the platens would always be receiving slurry forced through the aforcdescribed conduit system at a pressure on the glass of approximately 1 to 2 p.s.i. When it was desirable to disengage the platen or platens from the glass ribbon the load pressure exerted by hydraulic system 41 and 42 would be reduced from a normal range of between 2 and S p.s.i. to somewhere in the neighborhood of 0 to 2 p.s.i. By so reducing the pressure thrusting the platen 17 against the glass ribbon 10 and by introducing the slurry at a constant feeding pressure, the upper platens 17 would be forced away from the ribbon 10 and the ribbon 10 would be lifted from the bottom platens 29. This follows because of the fact that as the pressure exerted by hydraulic system 41 and 42 was reduced below the level necessary to overcome the feed pressure, the feeding pressure would have a sufficient forcing effect to move the platens in the manner aforedescribed.

Therefore in the broadest sense this invention is directed to the novel concept of overcoming the forces normally urging the tools into engagement with the glass ribbon and forcing the tools away from and off of the glass ribbon so that slurry fed internally of the polishing platens will spread outwardly and impregnate all of the glass engaging portions of both the upper and lower tools.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as an illustrative embodiment only of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts, as well as various procedural changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

Apparatus for simultaneously surfacing both sides of a continuous glass ribbon, comprising a pair of opposed surfacing tools having felt working faces for engaging the glass, said working faces including a plurality of slots cut therein each of which defines a hollow opening within the confines of said working face, means for moving the glass ribbon along a horizontal path between said tools, means for imparting a curvilinear translatory motion to said tools, yieldable means thrusting the opposed tools against the surfaces of the glass ribbon under a positive pressure, and means intermittently feeding a fluid surfacing medium between said surfacing tools and the glass ribbon at a pressure greater than said positive pres sure thereby urging said tools out of engagement with the surfaces of the glass ribbon and permitting said fluid surfacing medium to flow uniformly between said disengaged tools and the surfaces of the glass ribbon thereopposite, said fluid feed means including nipple means communicating with said hollow opening in said working References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,783,960 12/1930 Fox et al. 51-263 2,673,423 3/1954 Hoyet et a1 51-112 2,699,021 1/1955 Laverdisse 51-263 X 2,705,854 4/ 1955 Laverdisse 51-112 2,788,619 4/1957 Touvay 51-263 2,859,565 11/1958 Javaux 51-263 2,865,142 12/1958 Dunipace et a1 51-263 X 2,935,823 5/1960 Heymes 51-119 3,036,410 5/ 1962 Hoyet et al 51-112 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

25 I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, LESTER M. SWINGLE,

Examiners. 

